Safe and Sound
by Trance Starr
Summary: Beck and Jade have been broken up for six months when Beck gets a late night phone call telling him his ex-girlfriend is in the hospital. When Jade comes to live with him during her recovery, will Beck be able to handle being in such close quarters after so many months apart? Will Jade trust him enough to let him help her?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: If I owned Victorious, I'd be making episodes, not writing fanfiction.**

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for your amazing reviews for my first story. They were all so sweet and supportive and they gave me the confidence to start my first multi-chapter fic! It takes place several months after TWC.**

***I just want to give a quick trigger warning for hints of sexual violence in this chapter. There will be no graphic descriptions, but if you feel that this chapter might be triggering for you, please do what you need to do to take care of yourself. Feel free to message me and ask me about the content of this chapter and of the rest of the story if you're not sure about reading it, I just don't want to give any spoilers for any of the other readers. : )**

**Also, this chapter will probably be the only one in the story that includes both Beck's and Jade's POV. I felt it was necessary for this particular chapter but the rest of the story will be from Beck's POV only.**

Beck Oliver sighed as he fumbled with his keys, leaning heavily against the side of his RV.

He'd stayed a little later than he'd meant to at Tori's, where he and the rest of the gang (minus Jade) had been watching movies and eating popcorn. He was exhausted from a busy week of late rehearsals and while kicking back with his friends had provided some much needed stress relief, all he really wanted to do now was fall into bed and sleep for a very long time.

Entering the RV, Beck closed the door and stood still for a moment as his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. He was momentarily struck, as he often had been in the past six months, by how quiet and empty it was.

Beck was doing pretty well with the break up, but every once in a while, late at night when he was dead tired like this, he remembered how nice it had been to curl up next to a warm body at the end of the day and to wake up to Jade's sleeping face in the morning.

It was normal, he rationalized, to miss her from time to time. It was perfectly natural that he would feel a little weird about going from spending every waking moment with Jade to barely even speaking to her.

She hadn't been there tonight. Maybe she'd been busy or maybe she hadn't been invited because his friends thought it would be too awkward to have the two of them in the same room all night.

He knew she wouldn't have come anyway.

Jade had made herself scarce lately, eating lunch at different tables and avoiding group hangouts. Beck knew that neither of them would feel comfortable being around each other at the scene of their disastrous break up.

Not that they felt comfortable around each other anywhere else.

Beck felt a momentary twinge of guilt at the thought that his decision to end their relationship had isolated Jade from their mutual friends, but he reminded himself that Jade had always preferred to be alone anyway. Besides, she still hung out with Cat, just not usually with the rest of the group.

Everything had turned out for the best for both of them really.

Not bothering to switch on the lights, Beck dropped his bag to the floor and stripped off his clothes as he walked towards his bed, leaving them in a messy trail behind him on the floor.

He crawled into bed wearing only his boxers, purposefully stretching himself to fill the space from which Jade was conspicuously absent. He heaved a deep sigh and dragged a hand across his face, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth to stop the momentary wave of _something_ (pain, guilt, nostalgia . . . loneliness) that washed over him every so often when he fell asleep without her or woke alone.

The feeling eased, as it always did, and Beck squirmed into a more comfortable position, emptying his mind of all thoughts of his ex-girlfriend and falling into a deep sleep, a smile on his face.

* * *

Jade West was angry.

Livid actually, not that that was anything new.

She slammed the locker room door shut, the sound echoing satisfyingly through the abandoned halls, and shouldered the black duffel bag that held her dance shoes and training clothes. She'd stayed late at a dance studio downtown to work on her fouettes, something she was still struggling with, after promising her instructor she'd close up.

Jade was confident in her abilities as a singer, actor, and writer and while her dancing was certainly above the average at Hollywood Arts, above average wasn't good enough for Jade. She knew she needed to give herself every possible advantage in the unforgiving performance industry and the only way to do that was to excel at everything. She could not afford to have a weakness.

That was one reason Jade was still at the dance studio just after midnight on a Friday night. The other was that since the break up, Jade had found herself with a lot more time on her hands and in need of near constant distraction. So here she was.

Exhausted, frustrated, and out way too late in a bad neighborhood.

The studio employed some of the best instructors in LA, but it was more than a bit creepy after dark. The walk to the public parking lot five blocks away was poorly lit and filled with catcalling idiots and drunken morons stumbling home from the dive bar across the street. It wasn't that Jade was scared exactly, it was more so just annoying to have to stay on her guard the entire way to her car, dealing with clumsy innuendos and lascivious stares from frat boys, twenty something workers, and the occasional high school kid with a fake id.

Jade closed the heavy studio doors behind her, staying aware of her peripheral vision as she turned to lock up. She glanced down the (thankfully) empty street before tossing her shoulders back and lifting her chin in an effort to look confident as she began the walk to the parking lot, her fist clenched around the handle of her sharpest pair of scissors inside of the pocket of her leather jacket.

Beck used to pick her up from these late night rehearsals. He knew she could take care of herself, but he had always insisted it made _him_ feel better to know she wasn't walking alone in such a bad neighborhood so late.

"Just let me pick you up, babe," he'd say, his eyes twinkling mischievously at her. "Otherwise I'll just worry all night and it is very possible that all my hair will fall out from the stress. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

There was no one to worry about Jade now.

Jade got along with her mom, but she traveled a lot for work and Jade's father simply couldn't be bothered to pick her up so late, especially from something as "frivolous" as a dance class. Regardless, Jade's father was on a lecture tour, her mom was in Switzerland at a corporate retreat, and her little brother was staying with Jade's grandmother in Redondo Beach. Cat probably would have picked her up if she'd been able to drive and if there was any way in hell Jade would ever allow Cat to pick her up in a neighborhood like this. And Beck -

Beck wasn't her boyfriend anymore.

Jade shrugged off her feelings of hurt and resentment. She could handle herself and anyone else who came along. She was Jade West. She didn't need anyone and she certainly didn't care that Beck's concern for her safety had apparently dropped off at the same time he dropped her.

She was about half-way to the parking lot when the back of her neck started to tingle.

Her senses suddenly on high alert, Jade listened to the heavy footfalls and stifled laughter of what sounded like two men treading behind her, one of them chuckling at the muttered comment of the other.

Jade's grip tightened around the handle of the scissors in her pocket as she began to walk just slightly faster, not fast enough to raise suspicion but just enough so that she might make it close enough to the strip mall ahead that they'd be afraid to approach her.

She heard one of the men say goodnight to the other before he stumbled across the street and out of sight. The second pair of footsteps continued to follow her at an uncomfortably close distance.

Just three more blocks, Jade thought to herself. Three more blocks and bright lights and convenience stores and regular people going home from their night shifts. Three more blocks and a getaway vehicle.

Three more blocks and she was safe.

Unfortunately, the man behind her seemed to notice the slight quickening of her pace. His footfalls became louder and she could hear his unsteady breathing hitch slightly.

Jade sped up again.

"Hey! Where you going so fast, baby?"

The words were slurred, but undeniably threatening. The speaker wasn't drunk enough to be easily evaded, just drunk enough to give him the courage to harass her.

Jade kept walking, facing straight ahead, her fingers clenched almost painfully around the handle of her scissors.

"Hey. Hey! What's your name? Bitch, I'm talking to you!"

That was all it took for Jade to break into a run, her combat boots thudding hard against the ground.

She heard the man behind her swear and start to run, gaining on her quickly. He caught up to her in a few short seconds, grabbing her arm roughly. Jade screamed, but they both knew that she was too far away from anything for anyone to hear her. As she whirled around to face him, he pushed a hand over her mouth, stifling her scream. He quickly pushed the arm he was holding behind her back and pulled the other to meet it.

Jade's scissors flew out of her hand and skidded onto the grass, where they lay useless and unnoticed by her assailant.

Deprived of her only weapon, Jade began to struggle hard against her attacker, adrenaline pouring through her veins like liquid fire. She continued to scream, though she knew it was useless, in case by some miracle someone happened to be passing by. She managed to knee the man in the stomach (a little higher than she'd been aiming) and he cursed, letting go of one arm.

She scratched, punched, and kicked as hard as she could before he finally managed to get a clean shot at her face, his fist meeting her eye and cheekbone with startling force.

Jade swayed slightly, stunned by the impact, and her slight pause was enough for the man to regain the upper hand. He managed to force her to the ground, becoming angrier and more violent the harder she struggled until finally his heavy boot connected with her ribs, winding her and sending a shock of pain through her entire body. A sickening cracking sound met Jade's ears, but she was too dizzy to place it.

Jade could feel herself fading, the pain making it hard for her to focus. Her thrashes and kicks became weaker and less directed. Her body pulsed with a pain that made her mind blank and her ears ring. The man chuckled as she attempted a last feeble punch against his chest. He straddled her aching body, the pain of his thigh pressing against her injured ribs causing her vision to swim. She was struggling to breathe.

As the stranger on top of her began to unzip his pants with one hand, the other all that was needed to hold her battered body down, Jade thought wildly, seemingly out of nowhere, of Beck.

But Beck wasn't here.

He wasn't coming.

No one was.

* * *

Beck jolted awake and looked around for the source of the blaring noise that had interrupted what had been a very deep sleep. His eyes slipped blearily over the clock on his nightstand which blinked 2:09 am.

He'd only been asleep for an hour.

As his eyes adjusted to the dark, Beck struggled to shake his head free from its cloudy dream state. He slowly identified the noise as coming from his pearphone and felt clumsily around in his covers for a while before his hand closed around it.

"Hello?" Beck answered, the word barely audible around a large yawn.

"Hello, I'm calling for Beck Oliver," replied an unfamiliar female voice.

"Yes," Beck answered incoherently, confused about who, other than one of his friends, would be calling him in the middle of the - well, he guessed it was technically morning but -

"I'm calling from USC Hospital. You're listed as Jade West's emergency contact. She is currently under our care."

Beck's heart thudded to a stop.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello again lovely people! Thank you so much for taking the time to review, favourite, and follow this ****story, your support gives me so much motivation and inspiration! Just a quick note on chapter two, which also applies to many of the following chapters: I am not a doctor. I tried my best with the medical details, but I am almost certainly going to make mistakes, so apologies in advance. Also, ****I know there's no Jade in this chapter, but I promise there will be Bade interaction in the next one! Hope you enjoy it anyway and that you have a great Thanksgiving weekend if you live in Canada and a great regular weekend if you live anywhere else!** Don't forget to drop me a review, they make me so happy : ) Here's chapter two!

* * *

He had never driven so fast.

Beck's mind was blank as he flew down the freeway, the late hour making LA traffic unusually easy to navigate. Taking the off ramp and finding himself on the main streets, he met a very different story. Every red light felt like an eternity. Beck ran a shaking hand through his hair, counting down each second it took for the light to change and cursing whenever there was a pedestrian.

He tried to force himself to slow down. He would never hear the end of it from Jade if he got pulled over, or worse, got hurt himself on the way to see her in the hospital.

If Jade was in any state to tell him off.

Beck quickly blocked out that chilling thought and returned to the numbing blankness that was allowing him to function effectively right now.

She's fine, Beck told himself.

She had to be. She was Jade West.

Ignoring his better judgement, Beck sped up.

After what seemed like hours, his truck skidded around the corner into the hospital parking lot. Beck barely remembered to slam the door as he leapt out of the truck, not even bothering to lock it. He jogged across the parking lot and threw open the door to the emergency room, striding purposefully towards the intake desk.

Beck's pace faltered slightly as he neared the desk, realizing that he wasn't exactly sure if he was actually supposed to be in the emergency room. He still had no idea what had happened. The nurse who had called him had refused to tell him anything over the phone, saying he needed to come into hospital to give proof of identification. Beck hadn't waited around to argue, simply grabbed his wallet, threw on a shirt and a pair of jeans, and raced out the door. Now, he felt suddenly uncertain as he realized he had no idea where he was supposed to be, what he was supposed to do, and who he was supposed to talk to.

He'd never done this before, thank God.

The nurse receptionist at the counter noticed him looking a little lost and called over to him.

"Sir, can I help you?"

"Um, yeah," Beck answered gratefully, stepping toward the counter and shoving his hands in his pockets in an attempt to hide that they were shaking. "I got a call saying that my - my friend is in the hospital. I'm her emergency contact, I wasn't exactly sure where to go . . ." Beck trailed off uncertainly.

"That's fine, sir," the nurse said calmly, "What is the patient's name?"

"Jade West," Beck answered, the name sticking on his tongue in a way it never used to from months without saying it.

The nurse typed the name into the database, her eyes scanning the screen quickly.

"And may I see some identification please?"

Beck started slightly, quickly reaching into the back pocket of his jeans and fumbling in his wallet for his driver's license. The nurse glanced over it.

"Alright Mr. Oliver, Jade West is currently in our critical care ward," she stated gently.

Beck's heart dropped to his stomach.

"That's on the fourth floor," the nurse continued. "You can ask about her at the desk just outside the elevator and her on call doctor will be able to bring you up to speed."

"Thank you," Beck mumbled automatically He shoved his wallet back into his pocket as he walked quickly out into the hallway and towards the elevator, jamming the up button several times with his thumb.

Of course she was in critical care, he thought to himself. Otherwise she would have called him herself. Or more likely she wouldn't have, since Jade would have far too much pride to ask anyone, let alone her ex-boyfriend, for help. If she wasn't calling - or not calling - for herself, if someone had to check her emergency contacts and contact them to let them know she wasn't ok, then she really wasn't ok.

The elevator chime jolted Beck out of his thoughts and he hurried inside, pushing the button for the fourth floor somewhat forcefully. The only other person in the elevator was a tired looking middle aged woman. They didn't speak. The sound of the woman biting her nails filled the elevator, but Beck was too lost in his own worry to mind.

As the elevator rose up, stopping on the second floor to let the woman out, Beck wondered for the first time why he was the person the hospital contacted. Jade must have forgotten or just not bothered to change her emergency contacts. That much was obvious. There was no way she would want him around during a crisis with the way things were between them now.

Even assuming she had forgotten to change her contacts, he was still surprised they had called him at all. They must call parents first. Jade was a minor and though it was likely that she once would have preferred Beck to be with her in an emergency over her father at least, surely the hospital was obligated to contact "next of kin" or whatever first. Yet here he was.

Beck's musings were put on hold as the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened. He let out a shaky breath and strode out into the critical care ward.

It was quieter than he would have imagined. Less running and screaming . . . but he guessed a lot of people were sleeping. Or unconscious for one reason or another.

Beck walked up to a horseshoe shaped desk and waited for the nurse to get off the phone. He examined the countertop intently so that he wouldn't appear to be eavesdropping, but his head shot up when he heard the nurse speak into the phone.

"Hello, I'm calling from USC Hospital for Linda Campbell. You're listed as Tara Campbell's emergency contact. She's currently under our care."

It was the same voice he'd heard over the phone earlier that evening. Beck didn't think he would ever forget it. For a moment, he contemplated what a shit job it must be to tell people their loved ones were hurt or sick or worse over the phone, but he was ripped out of the passing thought as the nurse wrapped up the call. Beck held his breath as she turned to look at him.

"What can I do for you?" the nurse asked with a tight, perfunctory smile.

"I'm Beck Oliver," Beck said, waiting for a flicker of recognition in her face. It remained blank. "Um, I got a call about Jade West," he continued unsurely.

"Just a moment."

The nurse walked further into the enclave behind a desk and rifled through a small magazine file of clipboards before plucking one out from the very back with two fingers. She skimmed the first page before placing the chart back in its folder and quickly pressing a few buttons on the desk phone.

"I've just paged Dr. Williams. She should be here in a few minutes. Excuse me." The nurse, "Lily Yu" according to her hospital ID card, excused herself and turned promptly down the hall towards a patients' room on the right, the pager attached to her hip continuing to vibrate as she walked away.

Beck was left standing awkwardly in the brightly lit lobby. There was nowhere to sit down, not that he really wanted to. The faint sound of crying reached his ears from down the hall and he shifted uncomfortably, tapping his fingers against his thigh. He felt outside of his body as he waited, the pressure of his own fingers against his thigh the only thing convincing him that this was reality and not just a terrible nightmare that he would forget an hour after he woke up.

Beck didn't have to wait long. A robust, very awake looking doctor walked briskly down the hall towards him. Her cheeks were slightly pink and she managed to give off an aura of genuine kindness and complete competence at the same time. Despite her reassuring manner, Beck immediately felt his heart rate hurtle upwards as his mind ran through the horrible gamut of illnesses and accidents that could have befallen Jade for the millionth time that hour, most of them involving a flipping vehicle. Jade loved to drive at night.

"Mr. Oliver? I'm Dr. Sandy Williams. I've been looking after Ms. West this evening," Dr. Williams shook Beck's hand firmly. Her skin was smooth and somewhat dry from multiple hand washings and latex gloves.

"How long has she been here?" Beck asked, trying not to sound as anxious as he felt.

Dr. Williams glanced over the chart she'd been carrying. "She was checked in just after midnight."

Beck's stomach clenched. He had still been at Tori's. Laughing and joking, playing cards, and enjoying time with his friends. Without her.

"Mr. Oliver, if you'd like to follow me, we can discuss Ms. West's condition," Dr. Williams said, firmly but kindly.

Beck followed the doctor numbly, walking slightly faster than usual to keep up with her quick pace. His heart was beating erratically, as it had been since the phone call from the hospital nearly an hour ago. Dr. Williams led him down a long hall past multiple rooms with their doors open. The lights were off in most, beeping sounds and blinking lights leaking out from the blackness, the slumped shapes of sleeping or unconscious bodies silhouetted against the windows.

Finally, Dr. Williams reached a small room which appeared to be a seating area for those waiting on news of loved ones. There was no one there at the moment and she gestured for Beck to sit down on one of the stiff, patterned chairs by the window. Dr. Williams pulled a chair from where it had been sitting facing some abandoned children's toys and sat down across from him.

"Before we begin, Mr. Oliver, may I ask your relationship to Ms. West?"

"She's my-"

Beck hesitated. What exactly was Jade to him now? Beck wondered briefly whether he would have access to more information if he said she was his girlfriend, but quickly discarded the idea. It was probably best to be honest since he had no idea what was going on. Besides, Jade would kill him if he went around telling random people he was her boyfriend.

"She's my friend," he finally finished, after a pause that was just a bit too long.

Dr. Williams graciously ignored his stumble, continuing, "And how long have you known each other?"

"Since freshman year. So almost four years," he clarified. Three of which I spent almost exclusively in her company, he felt like adding.

"Thank you, Mr. Oliver," Dr. Williams said, scribbling something onto the chart. When she was finished, she placed her pen in the pocket of her coat and the chart face down in her lap, meeting Beck's eyes fully.

"So, Mr. Oliver, the situation as of now is that we've been unable to contact either of Ms. West's parents, which is why you've been called despite your lack of blood relation. Do you, by any chance, have any information on their whereabouts?" Dr. Williams asked.

Beck felt a faint rush of anger. It was just so damn characteristic of her parents, especially her father, to be unreachable when their daughter needed them. He felt even more frustrated that he had absolutely no idea where they were, since he and Jade were practically strangers lately.

"Um, they travel internationally a lot. I'm not sure where they are right now," Beck answered lamely, begging with his eyes for Dr. Williams to just tell him what the hell had happened to Jade.

She got the hint.

"Ms. West is stable, Mr. Oliver. However, she has sustained some serious injuries as well as a series of smaller injuries that put her at risk of infection. She has several broken ribs on her right side which are affecting her breathing, so we have her intubated to help with that, and she's sustained blunt force trauma to the head which has resulted in a severe concussion. We kept her awake long enough to ensure that she was in no danger of permanent damage from her head injury, but we currently have her under controlled sedation."

Everything felt still and surreal as Beck listened to the severity of Jade's injuries.

Sensing his distress, Dr. Williams continued on firmly, "I expect Ms. West to make a full recovery and she will most likely not need to remain in critical care longer than over night, at which point we will move her to a recovery ward. There are possible complications due to the severity of the rib fractures Ms. West sustained and we will need to keep a close eye on her concussion, but . . . she has shown to be extremely resilient."

Beck felt a brief wave of pride wash over him at Dr. Williams' description. Then he remembered something the doctor hadn't told him yet, something which struck him as odd.

"Doctor, what actually happened? I mean was it a car accident? Jade's a really good driver so . . ." Beck trailed off as he noticed the intense and somewhat pained expression on Dr. Williams' face.

"Mr Oliver," she began carefully, "From what we can piece together from Ms. West's emergency phone call and her brief moments of consciousness over the last few hours, as well as the story her injuries tell us, Ms. West was the victim of an aggravated assault."

Beck's breath left him all at once.

"What?" he croaked finally.

Dr. Williams paused, obviously choosing her words delicately, "From what her injuries tell us, Ms. West was involved in a physical struggle with a large male. Her clothing and the items on her person at the time of the attack have been preserved as evidence for the police."

Dr. Williams broke off once more looking for all the world like she wished she didn't have to say what she was about to say. "Ms. West hasn't been conscious long enough to tell us the entire story, but the police will come to take her statement as soon as she is able to give it and at that time, if it's deemed necessary, they may take a forensic evidence kit."

Rape. The word Dr. Williams was clearly avoiding echoed through Beck's head as he stared hard at the tile floor.

No. No no no no no no no.

"Mr. Oliver," Beck looked up to see Dr. Williams staring at him with sympathy in her eyes. "We currently have no evidence that Ms. West's assault was sexual in nature. It's just a possibility we need to acknowledge given the circumstances. We will be waking her in a few hours and she should be able to answer any questions the police have about the attack. If she is unable to do so and she consents, we can do tests to determine whether or not a sexual assault took place."

Beck nodded slowly, feeling nauseated and desperately trying to stay composed despite the fact that his brain was screaming.

No no no no no no no.

He cleared his throat, "Can I see Jade now?" It was suddenly very important that he see her, that he see for himself that she was alive and safe.

Dr. Williams' sympathetic look deepened. "We don't generally allow visitation by non-family members during the critical stage. You can see her tomorrow morning when she's in the recovery ward."

"But -" Beck began to protest feebly.

"Mr. Oliver. I suggest you go home and get some sleep. Ms. West is stable, but she is under sedation. She wouldn't even know you were there."

Beck looked at her pleadingly for a moment but realized that he really was exhausted . . . and that he might not actually be ready to see Jade. Not like this.

"How early can I come back?"

"Eight at the earliest. She will be moved around six and I'd like her to be awake for a few hours so we can assess her before you come by."

Beck thanked the doctor and exchanged goodbyes, then walked stiffly back through the labyrinth of the hospital to his unlocked truck. He climbed inside and closed the door. He did not think. He arrived home without being able to remember the drive.

Beck unlocked his RV and stood still for a moment in the darkened room, a faint buzzing in his ears, his breathing ragged. He took his clothes off once again, more slowly this time. He crawled into bed for the second time that night and felt the familiar wave of emotion at Jade's absence.

But this time it didn't pass.

And for the first time since he heard the news of Jade's hospitalization, really for the first time even since the break up, Beck allowed himself to fall apart.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but life got crazy and I also wanted to make sure this chapter came out the way I wanted it to since it was the first actual Bade interaction of the story!**

**Before we get started, I just wanted to say that I got a great question in my reviews. Someone asked if the Beck and Tori almost kiss had happened already in this timeline. Since the timeline of the show isn't very specific, I've actually been thinking about whether or not I want to deal with TGP and I'm leaning towards saying it never happened, simply because I think it's a very complicated, emotional thing for Jade and I might want to deal with it more in depth in another story. But I'm still thinking it over!**

I really hope you enjoy this chapter! On this chapter in particular I would really appreciate reviews, since I want to know if the Bade interactions are working for you! Thanks so much! xoxoxox

* * *

Beck awoke early the next day after only a few hours of restless sleep. Despite being completely sleep deprived, not only from the night before but from an entire week of late rehearsals, he was wide awake and sitting straight up in bed at 6 am.

In a little over two hours, he'd be allowed to see Jade and hopefully, he'd find out what had really happened to her last night. Whatever had happened, it couldn't possibly be worse than the scenarios his imagination had been subjecting him to since his talk with Dr. Williams.

Beck pulled his tired body out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. He stood staring at himself in the mirror for a moment, taking in the purple circles under his slightly swollen eyes. There was a fairly thick layer of stubble on his face, and his hair - no one but Jade would ever even believe his hair could look like this. Beck sighed and splashed some water on his face.

After a quick shower and shave, Beck forced down a bowl of dry cereal and poured some coffee into a travel mug before locking up the RV and hopping in the truck to make what was technically his second trip to the hospital that day.

He arrived at the hospital without being able to remember the drive, consciously blocking out any thoughts that weren't about traffic lights and road signs. He was going to see her soon and there was no use worrying until he knew how she was.

Beck hadn't called any of the others to let them know that Jade had been hurt. Not even Cat. This was partly because he would rather call them once he had more information, but mostly because he didn't think he could face the conversations right now. Cat would be inconsolable, Andre would be quiet, Robbie would probably resort to speaking through Rex, and Tori would be the worst of all of them. She'd be sympathetic and worried and frantic, reminding him that things really were as serious as he knew they were. Not to mention, she would probably want to help and when Tori tried to help it usually didn't really help.

Especially where Jade was concerned.

Today, Beck entered through the main lobby of the hospital rather than the emergency room entrance and headed straight to the critical care ward on the fourth floor. He approached the desk to find the same nurse who had directed him earlier this morning, obviously still on shift.

"Um, hi," Beck said to get her attention.

She looked up at him blankly.

"How can I help you?"

"Um, I was told I could come back at eight to visit Jade West? And that she would probably have been moved, but I don't know where -"

"Let me just page her doctor."

"Thank you," Beck said, but the nurse had already returned to her computer.

Beck lingered awkwardly by the desk for a moment or two, amusing himself with the automatic hand sanitizer.

"Mr. Oliver?"

Beck quickly wiped his hand on his jacket as he turned to face Dr. Williams.

"Good to see you back so soon," she said, smiling warmly.

"You said I could see Jade at eight," Beck explained uncertainly.

"Indeed I did," Dr. Williams replied, a slight twinkle in her eyes as they flickered to the wall clock, noting Beck's punctuality. "She's been moved to a recovery ward on the third floor. I'll walk you down."

Beck walked with Dr. Williams back to the elevator. Once they were inside, Dr. Williams explained, "Before you see Ms. West, I'd like to update you on her medical status. It will only take a moment."

Beck nodded and tapped his fingers nervously against his leg, waiting anxiously for the elevator door to open.

Dr. Williams led Beck past another waiting room, indiscernible from the one on the fourth floor they'd been in the night before, except that this one had a few people dispersed around the room, reading magazines or half heartedly putting together puzzles that were almost certainly missing half their pieces. They continued on down the hall and ended up in a small office.

"Just thought we might like some privacy," Dr. Williams explained. She gestured for Beck to sit.

"I'll be brief as I know your anxious to see Ms. West," Dr. Williams said, eyeing Beck's tapping fingers. "Her status is no longer critical and I believe she will make a full recovery."

Beck breathed a sigh of relief.

"However," Dr. Williams continued and Beck's breath caught again. "Her injuries are serious and her ribs in particular will be require a long recovery period. When you visit her she may be a bit groggy from her long sedation."

Dr. Williams hesitated slightly.

"Ms. West has been through a serious trauma so I would advise that you be sensitive in the way you deal with her."

Beck nodded. "Did -" Beck's voice cracked slightly and he paused to collect himself. "I mean did you find out if she -"

"Ms. West's testimony is that she was not sexually assaulted and her exams confirm that."

Beck felt unexpected tears of relief prick the corners of his eyes and he nodded quickly, ducking his head.

Dr. Williams smiled at him sympathetically and clapped her hands together in an obvious attempt to break the tension of the room, for which Beck was extremely grateful.

"Well Mr. Oliver, that's all you really need to know for now. Anything else Ms. West will be able to tell you herself. She's in room 347. I'll be by a little while later to check up on her."

Beck stood abruptly and his hand was on the door handle before he remembered to turn and thank Dr. Williams. She shot him an gracious smile and Beck strode out into the ward, looking around to determine the direction the room numbers were moving. He walked at a brisk pace down the hallway, now more desperate than ever to see Jade.

If he could just see her - only then would he really be able to believe that she was - well, if not ok, then at least alive.

The closer he got to room 347, however, the slower he found his feet moving until he actually had to stop to lean against the wall a few feet from her door. He stared at the numbers, feeling a profound dread at the thought of what he might find inside.

He had never dealt well with seeing Jade hurt.

When Tori had accidentally hit Jade with the cane in stunt class, he'd felt a shot of adrenaline he'd never experienced before. Every time he looked at the purple bruise around Jade's eye he'd felt an unreasonable surge of anger towards Tori and a caveman-like urge to protect Jade from the entire world. Of course, it had turned out to be makeup . . . but it had felt real to him at the time.

That wasn't the first time he had seen her hurt. In the tenth grade she'd sprained her ankle during a rehearsal and spent the entire next week even more irritable than usual. An injured Jade was like a wounded wild animal. She didn't take well to being slowed down and lashed out at those trying to help her.

Her nurses were in for a nightmare.

Beck knew there was more to his hesitation than worry about how he would react to her injuries He was as worried about Jade's reaction to him as he was about his to her. What if she didn't want to see him? Jade hated to be perceived as weak by anyone and he was probably the last person in the world that she wanted to see her like this.

They had barely spoken in months.

Beck shook his head. Jade was all alone and in pain and even though he knew she would never admit it, she needed someone right now and he needed to get over himself and walk through that door.

Beck stepped towards the door and raised a hand tentatively, wondering whether he should knock or just walk in. What if she was asleep? He was saved having to make the decision when the door opened from the inside, causing him to start slightly.

A shaken looking young doctor sneaked out in front of him, looking just as startled to see him as he was to see her. Beck eyed her pink scrubs, the smiley face sticker on her name tag, and her perky blonde pony tail and almost smiled. Jade would hate her on sight and was probably not making much of an effort to hide her dislike.

The small blonde doctor quickly excused herself and skirted around him, leaving Beck facing an open door. It was then that he got his first glimpse of Jade.

He found himself suddenly winded.

Jade was propped up against a bunch of pillows on the opposite side of the room, her bed positioned so she was not quite lying flat but not sitting up either. She was facing the window but Beck could see her iv, the multiple machines monitoring her condition, and the dark, angry bruises on her arms. She looked so small in her loose hospital gown.

He must have made a sound because Jade's head snapped around to look at him, causing her to wince at the fast movement and Beck to gasp softly at the sight of the bruises and cuts covering her pale face, still partially obscured by the shadow of the curtain hanging by her bed.

"Beck?"

Beck was brought back to the moment by the sound of Jade's hoarse voice. He could have cried. Hearing his name fall from her lips cemented something in him.

She's here. She's alive. She's safe.

Beck took a step into the room and watched what looked like a combination of disbelief, desperation, and immense relief cross over his ex-girlfriend's face. The expression was barely there for a second before Jade had schooled her features into something more familiar: hostility.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded, still in that same hoarse, barely there voice. She coughed slightly and winced involuntarily, reaching the hand not attached to an iv down to her right side.

Beck lurched forward at her movement, walking quickly across the room so that he was standing close to her bed. Jade looked up at him and Beck froze in his tracks as her face was illuminated for the first time in the light from the window.

Her black hair was free from any colored streaks and was pulled back from her face in a loose pony tail at the base of her neck. Her pale face was whiter than he had ever seen it and her piercings had all been removed. Her right eye was almost fully closed and surrounded with a bruise that was such a dark purple it was almost black. A bruise the exact size of a large fist. Her lip was completely split on the left side and had been mended with stitches of black thread. There were small scratches covering her face and - Beck's heart clenched - there were purple bruises around her throat.

Beck's eyes drifted to the bruises on her arms before they moved back up to her eyes and held there. Jade watched Beck survey her face, her expression one of simultaneous embarrassment and defiance. Beck stared into Jade's defensive eyes for a moment, everything in him clenched with despair and shock.

Then his eyes softened and his fists unclenched. He ran a shaking hand through his hair.

"Jade," He murmured softly.

Jade's face relaxed slightly but not entirely.

"Why are you here, Beck?" She asked again, her voice still so strangely hoarse. "How did you even know - " She raised her hand to her throat and winced slightly. Beck quickly realized that it hurt her to speak and answered quickly before she could exert herself further.

"I'm your emergency contact. Remember?" He answered, pulling up a chair to her bedside. His hands hovered above hers for a moment before he clasped them in his lap in an attempt to control the overwhelming urge to touch her.

"Oh. I must have forgotten to change it."

Even though Beck had been thinking the same thing himself the night before, the words stung more than he would have expected. He didn't know what to say so he just nodded.

An awkward silence descended over them, but thankfully, it was interrupted shortly by an older nurse bustling into the room with a clipboard.

"Well Jade, I hear you've been terrorizing the interns again. Now I know Brittani's a bit much to take this early in the morning with all the smiling and everything but she really is a good doctor - oh, hello! Jade, who's your friend?"

Jade opened her mouth to answer, but the new nurse didn't give her a chance before thrusting her hand out to Beck and grasping his hand in an extremely firm handshake.

"I'm Jackie. I'll be monitoring Jade's recovery while she's here with us."

"I'm Beck," Beck said simply. He liked nurse Jackie on sight. Her no nonsense tone and the matter of fact way she was speaking to Jade gave him confidence that she would understand how to accommodate Jade's surly temperament without letting her get away with too much.

Jackie turned her attention to Jade and looked over her appraisingly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fantastic," Jade muttered and Beck almost smiled at the familiar sarcastic tone.

"What hurts the most?"

Jade looked down.

"Everything," she said quietly.

Beck's almost smile fell.

The nurse's face softened almost imperceptibly.

"Well, lucky for you I'm here with the painkillers."

Beck watched as Jackie measured out a cocktail of at least five different pills onto Jade's bedside table. Beck stood up and went to the bathroom to fill a small paper cup with water for Jade. She took it from him without looking at him and winced as she swallowed the large pills, her small white hand on her throat again.

"Dr. Williams will be here to check on you later in the day. It was nice to meet you Beck."

Nurse Jackie bustled back out the door.

Beck and Jade looked at each other, neither knowing what to say. They had barely spoken to each other in months and to be forced back into each other's lives like this was the last thing either of them wanted or expected.

"Has anyone been able to reach my parents?" Jade asked suddenly.

Beck was struck by the lack of a biting comment at the end of a sentence involving her parents. He reminded himself that she was scared and alone and in pain and her ex-boyfriend was probably not the most reassuring company.

Beck cleared his throat, "Not yet, I think. Where are they anyway?"

Jade shrugged. "Mom's in Switzerland on some corporate retreat. I think Dad's in Paris."

"And Jamie?"

"He's staying with grandma."

Another silence.

"No one else knows right?"

There was a tense note in Jade's voice and he knew she was talking about their friends.

"No. I've been here since about 2:30 in the morning and I didn't want to call them until you were . . . until I knew how you were. But I'll have to tell them soon."

"Why?" Jade asked edgily.

"Because they'll want to know you're hurt, Jade. I have to tell Cat at least and you know she'd never be able to keep it a secret from the others."

Jade looked conflicted for a second before she sighed and said, "Fine. But no visiting. Especially Vega. And no flowers."

Beck smiled slightly. "Of course not."

Jade settled back against her pillows, a disgruntled expression on her face. Beck was thrown by how easily he had been able to to win this argument. Normally it would have taken a lot more persuasion on his part.

He noticed that Jade was making a valiant effort to keep her eyes open, but that they kept fluttering shut against her will. The painkillers were clearly taking effect. Beck was just about to ask her if she wanted him to leave when her eyes finally drifted shut and she fell into a light sleep.

Beck stared at his ex-girlfriend's undeniably beautiful face, marred by the colorful evidence of someone else's rage. His eyes traced over her injuries in disbelief. He should probably go get a cup of coffee or something and come back in the afternoon, but he hated to think of her waking up all alone. She looked so uncharacteristically vulnerable with her face devoid of make up and jewelry, especially while she slept.

There was also a very insistent part of Beck that simply couldn't stand the thought of leaving her. He needed to watch over her for his own peace of mind, to give himself a tangible reminder that she was safe. As awkward and painful as things were between them now, he had to be better than no one, right?

Beck moved his chair so he was sitting beside Jade rather than facing her directly and put his feet up on a small coffee table next to the window. He grabbed a couple of magazines from the table and began to flip through one of them without really seeing the words, listening intently to the reassuring sounds of the machines keeping Jade stable. As he stared with determined focus at a picture of a fairly ordinary looking Honda, desperate to avoid the sight of Jade's injuries, one thought seemed to surface above the jumble in Beck's mind.

No one could ever be allowed to hurt her again.


End file.
